Chapter 201 - No One Is Fully Pure

He grabbed the wine off the table and sighed. Putting it away, he sat on his bed and stared out at the moon. Rubbing his wedding band, Ying Yue placed the butterfly away and reached for the smaller wooden box. He opened it and laid down as his lover's voice was not filled with defeat, sadness, and sorrow.

"I love you, Wang Li. I pray the Jade Emperor visits before it is too late."

Finishing his whisper, he closed his golden eyes, pushing his tears to slip down to wet the pillow cushioning him.

==

Fu Shen had always been told he was observant and he believed it to be true. Mo Chou had been living with them here at the school for a while now. The navy haired man was usually hanging around Feng Zhi and would head to Master Zhang's room at night. Master Zhang had been staring at the tanned man twenty times today and he sometimes looked flushed, as if he had been running. This had been happening quite often lately and he wondered what was happening between Master Zhang and Master Chou.

His purple eyes glanced at his grandmaster and his lips curled downward.

Grandmaster Yue had not been himself. Fu Shen had seen him tried, but there was something wrong. The platinum blonde looked lost as if his soul had floated away.

'Was this a new skill? A form of mediation, perhaps?'

Whatever it was, Grandmaster Yue did not look well.

"Ah Shen," the brunette master joined him on the bench, "Cleaning your pipa I see."

"Master Mo," he nodded in greeting before his eyes went back to the blonde, "Is Grandmaster Yue sick?"

Han Mo looked over at his brother and he knew something broke the blonde. His little brother only was this way whenever his little brother's husband-

He shook his head and cupped the white haired boy's shoulder. Offering a smile, he shook his head, as if to tell the young man to not think too deeply of his little brother's heartache. It would only bring the boy pain like it did to Xu Ling and him.

The fate could be cruel.

"He is. Something even the grandmaster could not fix or heal back."

"It is our king, isn't it?"

His golden eyes blinked into purple ones and he tilted his head.

"Why do you think so?"

"The last time my king came, he looked different, moved differently, and he seemed to stare much more, much longer," Fu Shen said softly and paused in his cleaning, "He is dying."

The hand on the boy's shoulder tightened and Han Mo clenched his teeth. Fu Shen was too smart for his own good. Taking a deep breath, he wanted to lie to the boy. Tell him everything was going to be fine. The Ghost King was not dying all over again. He will return to his little brother and him. Yet, the look in those purple eyes were the same from back then, back when they first spoke in his guest room so many centuries ago.

["Fu Shen, I just want to talk. Please."

The white haired boy sat down and poured them tea. Body rigid, but back straight like a regal knight. He stared at the burns and the pouty lips, before his golden eyes trailed across almost silver lashes bordering purple eyes.

"What would you like to know?"

'Ah, what should I ask?'

"Tell me how you arrived? My little brother had been here before, but he stated he had not seen you before."

"My king saved me. When I entered, Heaven's Chosen was not here."

'So vague, Ah Shen…'

"Were you sick?"

"I was dying."

"…"

"…"

"Ookay… Well, tell me about your king. Does he have a weakness?"

"Why do you wish to know this?!"

Fu Shen gripped the teacup so hard, Han Mo thought he would be feeling the ceramic break against his skull from the way Fu Shen was staring at him. Eyes dipped low like a lion protecting its child and lips pulled into a scowl. Holding up his hands like a surrender, he laughed nervously to rid the tension in the room.

"I am only curious, Ah Shen. I will never harm our king."

"Our king…" Purple eyes searched his for a moment, then the tension in the boy's shoulders released slight.

"Ah Shen," Han Mo sighed, "Ying Yue loves him. I want him to be happy but if our king ever hurts him, I would need to fight him. He is much stronger than I. Can you not tell me something? I am sure our king would be heartbroken to know he harmed my little brother."

Fu Shen shut his eyes and drank the tea. He joined and waited as the candle flickered in the room. A sigh escaped the boy's lips and purple eyes turned to look at him intently.

"You promise not to harm my king."

"Unless I have to, I promise."

"My king," Fu Shen paused for a moment, "Does not have much weakness. He trains, he meditates, he is strong in body and mind."

"And handsome."

"Yes…" Fu Shen agreed and his eyes widened staring at the grinning brunette. His face warmed up and he cleared his throat before continuing.

"The Ghost King's weakness is his family. The people he loves. But keep this in mind, cultivator. I do not care you were chosen by the Heavens or that Heaven's Chosen is your brother. I will fight beside my king and will protect him with my life."]

"Ah Shen…"

"He is. I can tell."

Han Mo removed his touch and rubbed a temple with a sigh.

"Have you told anyone?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

"Master Chou."

"What did he say?" Han Mo wondered glancing over at the navy haired man chatting beside Feng Zhi and his nephew.

"It is true."

Han Mo groaned covering his face. This was terrible. Now things would be worse again and this time, he was certain the Ghost King could not be revived and his poor little brother would break this time. They had already fought against fate three times, a fourth would be unimaginable.

Fate would only retaliate a hundred folds.

"Do you believe him?"

"Yes."

"Shen-er…"

The white haired boy shook his head as he continued cleaning the instrument his king gifted him. Han Mo sat beside the boy for a moment longer as his eyes glanced at his brother staring blankly at the mountains behind the school.

'What are we going to do, Jade Emperor? Can we not save them any longer?'

"Come to my room tonight, Ah Shen."

"Master Mo-"

"Ah Shen," Han Mo placed his hand on Fu Shen's over the pipa, "Let us cry together," he whispered quietly and purple eyes watered as they stared into his golden ones.

"I know you are hurting, Ah Shen. Let me hold you tonight."

==

Ying Yue tried to call for the Jade Emperor as half a year passed, but the golden light never came. He was having trouble sleeping, tossing and turning, and reliving nightmares. He would wake in sweats and tears would fall off his eyes. Shutting his golden eyes, he exhaled shakily with furrowed brows as he turned to face his door.

The Heavens were either considering for a long time, or they did not care at all.

He was going to see Wang Li in half a year and he knew it would be their last. Sitting up, he touched the red robe he was donning and looked at the fluttering wings of the butterflies. The lone black one was surrounded by the white butterflies, reminding him of the yang- the light side to the yin.

'No one is fully pure,' he thought staring at the black butterfly like the dot within the yang, 'We take some darkness with us.'

Shutting his eyes and shaking his head, he tugged the gifted robe off his body. He called forth all the butterflies and tucked it all into the wooden boxes. He pulled off the paintings, grabbed the scrolls and books, the perfumes, the fans, everything that reminded him of his lover. Everything that his husband had made, his lover created, even the sheets on his bed and his infamous straw hat.

He pushed everything into the box and pushed it to the corner of the room. He draped his robe to cover the box and sat on his mattress. His golden eyes looked around the room to see how bare it was and he found himself laughing with tears in his eyes. Covering his face, his body shook and his breath hitched. He shut the window to hide from the moon.

He would not look at it any longer.

Opening his palm, he created a butterfly and he closed his eyes. He spoke his message, the longest he ever made for Wang Li.

"I hate you…" he started and the rest of the words tumbled out of his lips.

==

Near the northern forest, he was reminded of the time they first met.

Mo Chou grinned at the pinkette who shut his eyes tightly. His tanned fingers moved down the thick neck. Purple eyes watched as the pale skin powdered pink wherever he touched. He stared at the pink lips, wet from their earlier kissing and Mo Chou hummed licking his lips.

"You are beautiful, Ah Lan."

"Stop speaking," black eyes opened slightly as a pout graced him, but the blush was evident upon white cheeks.